


Heart Clock

by sanctuary_for_all



Category: Stitchers, Stitchers (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-07
Updated: 2015-08-07
Packaged: 2018-04-13 09:58:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4517535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kirsten uses Cameron to understand time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heart Clock

"I'm almost done," Cameron told Kirsten, testing the pasta before pulling it off the burner. "Just give me one more second."

"I don't know why people always say that," Kirsten said lightly, stirring the sauce next to him. "The amount of time they're asking for is always considerably more than a second."

Cameron raised an amused eyebrow as he scooped out a cup of pasta water, then drained the noodles. "You timing me, Stretch?"

"No." She gave him an affectionate look. "I just know that a second is almost exactly the amount of time it takes you to say 'Stretch,' and even I can tell you're using more than that."

The words were unexpected enough that they completely distracted him from the pasta. "What made you calculate that?" he asked, carefully setting the pan down on the edge of the sink.

Kirsten shrugged. "It's something one of my therapists suggested when I was younger, that I find comparatives so I have a better understanding of what certain units of time mean. It never really worked before, because none of their suggestions had any meaning for me either."

Cameron's chest felt warm, lips quirking upward. "But I do?"

She gave him a long-suffering look. "Don't pretend like that's a surprise."

"No matter how often I'm reminded, it still feels like a surprise every time," he said softly, pressing a kiss against her cheek before returning his attention back to the pasta. "So now you have some idea of what a second's like, which means I need to come up with another metaphor."

Kirsten smirked a little. "Don't use a minute, either. It's not nearly as precise, but I know that a minute is approximately how long it takes you to brush your teeth in the morning." She paused, considering. "Your dentist would probably be upset with you if she knew. You're supposed to do it at least twice that long."

Cameron blinked, even more surprised. "You timed how long it takes me to brush my teeth?" She looked down at the pan, suddenly self-conscious, and Cameron could have kicked himself for how the words had come out. "Which I'm totally cool with, by the way," he said quickly, pouring the pasta into the sauce before turning off the burner. He had the feeling this conversation was more important than dinner. "I just hadn't expected it."

"What, that I pay attention to you?" She looked almost hurt, which was definitely not what he was going for. "I make it as obvious as I can."

"You do just fine." He laid a hand against her cheek. "It's not your fault I'm an idiot with serious self-esteem issues."

She sighed, resting her hands against his chest. "Well, you might as well hear them all, now."

Something inside him squeezed tight. "'All'?"

Kirsten raised an eyebrow at him again, and he mimed zipping his lips closed. Her lips quirked for just a moment before her expression turned serious again. "Fifteen minutes is the time from your apartment to the lab. Twenty minutes is the time it takes you to eat lunch, but only if you're not distracted. A half hour is the amount of time it takes you to get ready in the morning. An hour was more difficult, but I finally decided that's approximately from the start of a movie to the time you tell me I absolutely can't get up because it's 'just getting to the good part.' Three hours is the full movie night, including the prep for the popcorn and making ourselves get up again afterward." She stopped, watching her expression. "You're really okay with this?"

"I am _absolutely_ okay with this," Cameron swore. "So, I'm your watch?"

She shook her head. "It's more just for me, so I can understand the units of time better. I can see a half hour go by on a clock, but it means nothing to me. If I tell myself it's the same as you getting ready in the morning, however, I get some sense of what 'a half hour' actually means." Her expression softened. "You've always been good at helping me understand things."

"Wow." Cam swallowed past the lump in his throat. Kirsten had a unique way of telling people how she felt about them, but there were times when she could make sound so much more important than 'I love you.' "That's...."

"Truth." She gave him a brilliant smile, along with a lingering kiss. "But you're still terrible at estimating how long it takes to make dinner."

He grinned back at her. "Who's fault is that?"

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my weekly posts and original short fiction on my [blog](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)!


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